knittei



(No Model.)

J. KNITTEL. DRUM.

UNrTEp STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN KNITTEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE T.KOLLAS, OF SAME PLACE.

DRUM.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 478,611,5dated July 12,1892. Application tiled December 8, 1891. Serial No. 414,354. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, .I OHN KNITTEL, of the city of St. Louis and Stateof Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drumsor Drum-Heads for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full,clear, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

1o My invention relates to improvements in drums or drum-heads formusical instruments and it consists in the novel arrangement andcombination of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, anddesignated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of a drum constructedaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on the linea; of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a side elevazo tion, partially broken away,showing the exterior surface of the drum. Fig. at is a side elevation ofthe tool which I employ in connection with the drum. Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail View of the adjusting device for the shares, and Fig. 6is a detail view of a modiication of my invention.

The object of myinvention is to effectually and evenly tighten the headsof the drum or other instruments having a hide stretched 3o thereon,and, further, to dispense with the ordinary strings which form the snareon the bottom of the drum and in place thereof form a snare of suchconstruction which is entirely located within the drum, and which can be3 5 accurately adjusted from the outside of said drum.

IVith these objects in view, I shall proceed to describe theconstruction in detail, and the manner in which the same is carried out.

4o The drum that I am about to describe is constructed entirely ofmetal, and will present a neat and finished appearance.

Referring to the drawings, l represents the body of the drum, the upperand lower edges of which are similarly constructed, and therefore Ishall only describe one in detail-namely, the upper part of said drum.Adjacent to said upper edge, and at a suitable distance therefrom, areformed external screw-threads 5o 2, which may be of any suitable numberin order to accomplish the desired result. In

order to be more explicit as to the construction of this portion of thedrum, an annular ange 3 is formed entirely around the bodyl of the drum,upon the circumference of which 5 5 said screw-threads are formed, bymeans of which a suitable space is left from said annuy lar flange tothe upper edge of the body l, for the purpose as hereinafter more fullysetforth.

4- represents a rim which is a little larger 6o than the upper edge ofthe drum l, and having formed upon its inner circumference internalscrew-threads 5, which are adapted to receive the screw-threads 2 whenthe said rim is adapted to be secured to the body of the drum foruniting the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth. The upper edgeof the rim at is rounded in cross-section, and has an internally-formedflange 6, the under surface of which flange is provided with an annular7o groove 7.

8 represents a metallic ring, which is of such a size and dimension asto fit snugly within the annular groove 7 of the rim, as shown in Fig.l, which when so placed in said rim presents a smooth surface for thehead of the drum.

9 represents a metallic ring similarly constructed-naniely, in size anddimensionsas the ring 8, over which the head l0 of the 8o drum is placedand stretched before the same is inserted or placed in its properposition in the rim 4. When the ring 9 is covered with the rawhide or,more properly, the dru m-head, as above stated, the ring, together withthe head, is placed upon the ring S in the rim e and while in thisposition the parts are united, as shown in Fig. l.

The upper edge 1l of the body of the drum is of such a size incircumference as to bear 9o upon the inner surface of the ring 8, andthereby come in contact with the hide to form the head of the drum andfirmly clamp the said hide to the ring S. If this were not true, thesaid head would have a tendency to with- 9 5 draw from the said ring 8when the head of the drum was stretched tothe desired tension.

IVhen the parts have been united, as above described, andthe internalthreads formed on roo the rim 4 in position to receive the externalscrew-threads formed on the flange 3 by turningthe said rim in theproper direction or to the right, the ring 8, carried by said rim, willbe brought in contact with the upper surface of the head 1, and byfurther turning the said rim in the same direction the proper tension tothe head is obtained.

It will be readily perceived that it would be impossible to give thedesired tension to the head of the drum without some additionaleontrivance or tool constructed for the purpose. This I accomplish bymeans of a tool 12, constructed and applied in a manner as hereinafterdescribed. 13 represents a series of holes formed in the riln 4, withinwhich holes the said tool is easily'inserted.

The tool 12 is composed of a handle 14, by means of which the same ismanipulated, and havinglateral extensions 15, the base of which conformsto the shape of the rim 4 and is adapted to come in contact therewith.To said base portion is secured a hook 1G, which hook is adapted to beinserted into the openings 13, formed in the rim. IVhen the tool 12 isapplied in the proper manner, the hook will pass into said openings orin whatever opening it is desired to be inserted and by a slightpressure upon the handle of said tool in either direction the rim 4 maybe turned and the desired tension given to the drum-head.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings I have shown a modification in which the toolemployed to tighten the drum is dispensed with, and consequently theopenings formed in the rim 4 are also dispensed with. In this instance Ieffect the desired tension in a manner as hereinafter described.

17 represents tine gear-teeth formed upon the outer circumference of theriin 4, which teeth are adapted to mesh with a suitable worm carried bythe body of the drum.

1S represents the worm, which is mounted in suitable bearings 19,carried by the body of the drum 1. Said worm is provided with anextension 19', by means of which the said worm is turned, in order toaccomplish the desired result.

From the foregoing' description it will be seen that when the worm 18 isturned the rim 4 will also be turned, causing the head of the drum to beeffectually stretched.

To the inner cylindrical surface of the body A of the drum l, at anysuitable location, is secured a block 20, having a series of verticalapertures 2l formed therein.

22 represents a series ot' steel wires corresponding to the number ofopenings formed in the block 20, one end of said wires being suitablybent at an angle and said ends passed into the openings 2l in the block20. The opposite ends of said wires are provided with balls 23, whichare adapted to come in contact with or be adjusted to and from one ofthe heads of the drums. From the block 2O the said wires converge, asbest shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in order that the lower ends ofsaid wires will come in contact with the drum-head properly in order toelfectthe result.

24 represents a screw-threaded opening formed in the side of the body ofthe drum, through which a screw-threaded bolt 25 is adapted to be turnedfor adjusting the wires simultaneously. To one end of the screw issecured a knob 26, by means of which the same is manipulated or turned,and formed on the opposite end of said bolt is an annular depression 27.

28 represents a washer, which is adapted to snugly tit in said recess27, and formed with said washer at the edge thereof are twoperforatedears 29, which are oppositely located.

30 represents a curvilinear bar or plate which rests upon the uppersurface of the wires 22, and to the ends of said curvilinear plate aresecured two wires 31, leading to and connected to the ears 29, forming apart of the washer 28. It will be premised in this connection that thewires employed being constructed of steel will always have a tendency toraise the lower end thereoffrom the head of the drum. Vhen the screw 24is turned to the right, the curvilinear plate 30 will be pressed uponthe wires and cause the ends of the same to be brought in contact withthe head of the drum; but when said screw is turned in the oppositedirection the said curvilinear plate 30 will allow the wires or thelower ends thereof to rise from the head of the said drum.

By the use of the snare, as described, the ordinary strings generallyemployed for the purpose are entirely dispensed with and the resultobtained in a more eicient manner.

My invention is equally applicable to ban-s jos or to any otherinstruments having a head, and therefore I do not wish to limit myselfto any one application.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A drum ordrum-head for musical instruments having` external screw threads formedon the body of the instrument and a rim having internal screw-threadsformed upon the same for receiving the said external threads,substantially as set forth.

2. A drum or drum-head for musical in struments, consisting of a body,external screw-threads formed on the same,a rim pro vided with internalscrew-threads for receivA ing the serew-threads formed upon the saidbody, and a head adapted to be clamped be tween said rim and body,substantially as set fort 1.

3. A drum or drum-head for musical inn struments, consisting of a body,external screw-threads formed upon the same,a rim having,r internalscrewthreads adapted to receive the said external screw-threads, a headadapted to be clamped by said rim, and means for turning said rim,substantially as set forth.

4. A drum or drum-head for musical inn IOO struments, consisting of abody l, having an annularllan ge formed thereon, external screwthreadsformed on the said flange, arirn, such as 4, provided with internalscrew-threads adapted to receive the said external threads, an annularflange internally arranged upon said rim, a groove formed in the saidflange for receivinga ring, ahead, such as lO, adapted to be stretchedovera ring 9, and the same interposed between the first-named ring andthe upper edge of the body l, substantially as set forth.

5. A drum or drum-head for musical instruments, consisting of a body,external screw-threads formed upon the same, a rim having internalscrew-threads adapted to receive said external threads, holes forlned in

